In the Goldfish Floats to the Top of His Life, Ted Koosher describes how corporate America takes away one's soul. People who work for large corporations are turned into "machines" leaving them with no substance to their lives. When they start out they have hopes and dreams that remain with them but are never realized. He tells how "In the night...these men float to the top of their dreams to drift back to their desks in the morning." When they are not at work they reflect on their dreams but are brought back to reality by being chained to their desks while working at unsatisfying jobs. He assumes that death would be preferable to working under the conditions that the large corporations have imposed on people. He echoes the theme of death being the preferred alternative to working at a job that strips you of your identity and is not satisfying in They Had Torn Off My Face at the Office. It takes him a while to realized that his identity has been stripped from him and would not be given back or as he says "that it was not growing back" but when he does he symbolically slits his wrists but there is nothing left inside of him, "Nothing ran out; I was empty." The basis of his employment is destroyed as both of his hands fall off which symbolizes the absence of his creativity and energy for the job. Instead of quitting or being let go, the company makes accommodations allowing him to "type with the stumps" in order to perform his job. The company is satisfied with itself for turning him into a corporate clone, feeling that they have given him something as opposed to taking something away from him. He goes on with the routine of his job using his experience to "gain in speed and confidence."